Grace Tu

Monday, July 20, 2015

Happy 14th Anniversary

A while ago Alan told me he wanted our next car to be a
Sprinter, which, according to him, is every man’s dream car.

I have absurdly limited knowledge when it comes to cars, so
I looked online, and could not understand why a car with such a monstrous look
could get such a title. Also agreed with
me were some of my male co-workers, who decidedly denied the Sprinter being
their dream car, and doubted that Alan would find many people who share his
view.

Since then, “The Sprinter” has become something that I often
teased Alan about, until one day, as I saw him walking towards our lobby,
carrying in his hands a plastic bag filled with all the vegetables that he grew
and that he so eagerly wanted to share with my friends at work, and all the
sudden I understood.

This is why to Alan, the Sprinter is everyman’s dream car.
It’s the kind of man he is. He is the kind of man who wants to be in the garden
in the burning heat under the scorching July sun so his wife and his daughter
can eat the vegetables he grows. He is
the kind of man who wants to take his family with him wherever he goes, and not
just me and Anya, but his family, and my family as well. He dreams of buying
what I consider a monstrous looking car so everyone can sit at the back and
have a great time while he drives across Canada. He is this kind of man, and I
love him so much for it.

So, happy 14th Anniversary, Alan. Thank you for
asking me out 14 years ago (even though you insisted I was the one who asked
you out). Thank you for sharing with me all your wisdom, love, kindness, and
even your fear. Thank you for letting me know when I am in the wrong but at the
same time letting me know you still love me despite all my flaws. Thank you for
being a wonderful father to our little girl. Thank you for sharing the same
dream with me because to me, having a husband who shares the same dream and
having a husband who would work with me through each step to achieve that
dream, is the very best thing in the world.